Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus for recording on a film an image carried by an original.
Electrophotographic apparatus have been known which are used as image recording apparatus for recording an image in a predetermined frame of a photographic film such as a microfilm, the recorded image being projected onto a screen or printed on a copy paper. Examples of such electrophotographic apparatus are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,697,173, 3,972,610, 4,461,566 and 4,671,647.
In general, electrophotographic apparatus of this kind have a plurality of optical systems for performing different functions: namely, a photographing optical system for photographing the original image and recording the photographed image on a predetermined frame of a photosensitive film (electrophotographic film), a projection optical system for projecting the recorded image on a screen, and a copying optical system for focusing the recorded image on a copying photosensitive drum.
The photographing optical system is designed such that a scanning lens or the photosensitive film is made to run in the direction of the scan so as to focus the original image on the photosensitive film in a smaller scale, i.e., in a contracting manner. Therefore, the image on the photosensitive film tends to be adversely affected even by a slight error in the movement of the scanning lens or the film, resulting in a deterioration in the precision of the image.
In addition, each of these optical systems requires a considerably long path of light, thus requiring a wide space with the result that the size of the apparatus becomes large.
Furthermore, the constructions of the optical systems are complicated because the optical systems have to be designed and disposed in such a manner as to avoid any mutual interference.
In addition, the size of the electrophotographic apparatus of this type is increased also by the necessity for a wide space which is essential for the scanning of the image.